"Sounds like Harry's arrived." commented Fred, picking up his extendable ear from the side table. "Pity, he'll interfere with the reception. George, you want to say hello?"

George didn't answer, instead apparating with Fred a second behind him.

They left us! Maddy signed outraged, looking where the twins had just stood. Now we've got to take the stairs.

"We can't POP like the twins can, Maddy." Simon said, making his way to the door. "We'd have to take the stairs anyway."

Maddy rolled her eyes. It's called Apparition, Simon. Not POP!

"Same, difference," he said, turning and walking out the door. "You coming to introduce me to the famous Harry Potter or not?"

Maddy grumbled under her breath, but ran out of the room, striding down the steps, with Simon following behind her.

"Time is Galleons, little brother," they heard Fred saying as they opened the door. "Anyway, Harry, I think you'll interfere with the reception. Extendable Ears. We were about to try and hear what's going on downstairs."

Maddy clapped, and the whole room turned to face her and Simon, who had entered the room and closed the door behind them. You mean we as in me included?

Maddy's plait was resting on her right shoulder underneath her jacket's collar, and her foot was tapping impatiently on the floor.

"Maddy!" exclaimed Harry, staring at the younger girl. "I didn't know you'd be here." He frowned slightly, "It makes sense though, since Professor Lupin came to pick me up."

His eyes trailed to Simon, who was looking at the ground. "Who are you, exactly?"

Simon looked up, a twinkle in his sapphire eye. "Oh — er — I'm Simon. Nice to meet you finally. Everyone here speaks very highly of you." He held out his hand, and Harry hesitantly shook it. "You're probably wondering why I'm here. You see, my sister and I, quite like yourself, are orphans, and so the Order's letting us stay here until I start school. Dari, that's my sister, is gonna stay here after that, since the orphanage isn't really a good place for her to be alone. She's deaf, and there aren't many people who know sign language."

Harry nodded, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Simon."

The door opened, and Ginny and Darienne entered. Darienne made her way to her older brother, clutching onto his arm.

"Oh, hello, Harry!" Ginny smiled brightly. "I thought I heard your voice." Her glance scanned over Fred, George, Simon, and Maddy. "It's no go with the Extendable Ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."

"How d'you know?" asked George, looking considerably crestfallen.

"Tonks told me how to find out," Ginny told them. "You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. Darienne and I have been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap.

Fred sighed, "Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"

Simon frowned, "That's the teacher Maddy hates, right?"

Maddy nodded, her eyes conveying a glint of hatred.

"Yeah," said George, answering both Harry and Simon's question. He closed the door carefully, and sat down on one of the beds; Fred and Ginny followed. Maddy sat on Fred's lap, seeing as there wasn't much space on the bed, and Simon and Darienne sat on the flood in between the two beds. "Giving a report. Top secret."

"Git," said Fred and Maddy in unison.

"He's on our side now," Hermione disapprovingly stated.

Ron snorted. "Doesn't stop him from being a git."

Maddy pointed at Ron with approval. I think people tend to forget that often. Just because you're acquaintances with someone doesn't mean you have to get along.

He can't be too bad if he's a teacher. signed Darienne, looking around the room. Wait? We're talking about the man with the greasy hair and black robes, right?

"That's him," confirmed Ron. "I'm honestly not sure why he became a teacher if he seems to hate everyone besides the Slytherins so much."

Dad and Uncle Padfoot said he was like that in school. Maddy added.

Ginny snorted. "Professor Snape went to school with Professor Lupin and Sirius? I thought he was older than that."

He's only thirty-five. confirmed Maddy.

"I'm not exactly fluent with the numbers," admitted George.

"She said he's thirty-five." translated Simon.

"That makes some sense." said Hermione, her eyebrows furrowed with concentration. "All three of them look older than that, but Professor Lupin looks older because of his lycanthropy, Sirius because of Azkaban, and Professor Snape because —" she trailed off, unsure of her wording.

Are you looking for the fact that he's just Snivellus?

"No," said Hermione.

Well, I think it works.

"I second that." concurred Ron, getting swatted on the forearm by Hermione. "Blimey, Hermione!" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "You've seen the way he looks at us when he sees us...."

"Bill doesn't like him either," added Ginny.

"Is Bill here?" Harry sank into the bed next to Ron. "I thought he was working in Egypt."

"He applied for a desk job so he could come home and work for the Order," Fred informed him. "He says he misses the tombs, but," he gave a smirk that Maddy could practically see, despite not facing him. "There are compensations...."

"What d'you mean?"

"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" smirked George. Maddy, Simon, and Darienne had never met the part-veela, but had heard stories from the others. Maddy had to physically stop herself from signing the fact that Fleur was less than a year older than the twins, because she realised the 'old' was rather rhetorical. "She's got a job at Gringotts to eemprove 'er Eeenglish —"

"— and Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons," sniggered Fred.

Maddy exhaled, and burrowed into Fred's chest. All this teasing of siblings made her wish she had one. The way the four youngest Weasley's were always having at each other, or the way Simon and Darienne knew what the other wanted with just a glance, made her slightly jealous. She couldn't tell whether Hermione or Harry, being only children as well, felt similar. That's why she became so close with the twins, and even Harry two years earlier. It gave her a sibling relationship she longed for for years.

"Charlie's in the Order too," added George, "but he's still in Romania, Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."

"Couldn't Percy do that?" The atmosphere changed suddenly. Everyone besides Harry shared dark glances.

"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad?" said Ron.

"Why not?"

"Because every time Percy's name's mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding and Mum starts crying." Fred told him.

Maddy, having heard the tale of Percy's treachery twice over her time at Grimmauld Place, once for herself, and the second time for Simon and Darienne, opted to zone out.

She shut her eyes and turned slightly, digging her head into Fred's shirt, and promptly fell asleep, the sound of Ron's monotone voice recalling the story rocking her to sleep.

■□~□■

Maddy woke up to Fred shaking her slightly awake. "My mum's coming," he whispered in her ear. "George and I have got to scram."

Maddy lazily stood up, and with a crack, the twins disappeared. She rubbed her eyes as Mrs. Weasley opened the door.

"The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now, everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"

"Crookshanks," lied Ginny, Darienne nodding as she stood up. "He loves playing with them."

"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley thoughtfully, "I thought it might have been Kreacher, he keeps doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall...."

Maddy rolled her eyes, Like I have a choice about that.

Simon elbowed her in the ribcage. "Don't run into any walls."

Maddy stuck her tongue out at him but didn't respond.

"Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please." She looked at the other children, "You too, Darienne," she added, signing rather slowly.

Darienne understood the gist of what she was saying, and followed Ginny and Mrs. Weasley out of the room.

Simon and I are going to help set the table. I missed seeing you, Harry. You won't be able to get rid of me so easily now that I'm eleven. With a small smirk, Maddy left the room, Simon waving a small goodbye behind him.

Maddy skipped down the hall, Simon following cautiously behind her. "That portrait of Sirius's mother freaks me out." He whispered.

Pleasant lady, isn't she? Maddy replied. I wonder how Sirius and Regulus dealt with the real version of her.

"Regulus's his brother, right?"

Maddy nodded. Yeah. He's dead, though. She added rather indifferently. She looked down the hall. What's the fastest way to the kitchen which involves avoiding Kreacher. I don't think I have it in me to listen to another of Hermione's S.P.E.W. speeches.

"I'm not sure — hey!" Simon was hit on the head by an Extendable Ear being lowered by Fred and George. They both looked up to see the twins with their fingers to their lips. Maddy jumped and grabbed the string, helping to lower it over to the adults, who were sitting in the hallway. Fred gave her a thumbs up, which she returned.

Soon, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were next to them, also looking at the adults over the banisters.

That's Professor Snape, or Snivellus. Maddy told Simon, pointing at the man with the greasy hair and prominent nose that stood out in the group.

"He really is greasy," muttered Simon in her ear, causing her to smile softly.

The adults, as quick as they had shown up, they walked towards the door and out of sight.

"Dammit," whispered Fred, as he hoisted up the Extendable Ear.

Maddy and Simon made their way down the hall, where they saw Remus, Mrs. Weasley, and Tonks magically locking the door. Maddy rushed forward and pulled her father into a hug.

"Your broom's back in your room," he whispered in her ear.

Maddy nodded, before remembering what she did earlier, and pulled out her wand, flicking it upwards and successfully doing Lumos once again.

One of the largest smiles spread across Remus's face, "I'm so proud of you, Madeline, I told you that you could do it."

They, and Mrs. Weasley met Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Simon at the stairs. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall, it's through this door here —"

She was interrupted by a loud crash, and Maddy turned quickly to see Tonks lying on the floor next to the umbrella stand.

Maddy gave a small chuckle, but left her father's side to help her up, and fix the fallen umbrella stand.

Tonks apologised profusely, before smiling at Maddy, "Thanks, Maddy." she smiled, and pulled Maddy into a small hug, which she returned with a small smile.

Remus looked at the two curiously, with a small smile, barely noticeable on his face. It disappeared as fast as it came when the portrait of Walburga Black started to scream, causing other portraits to scream.

Maddy groaned, and covered her ears, frowning as wails and screams filled the hall.